


couldn't hide from the thunder (in a sky full of song)

by sylviewashere



Series: junksen week [4]
Category: Pitch Perfect (Movies)
Genre: F/F, Junksen Week, aka I AM NO MAN!, aka carly rae jepsen voice: HOH YEAH A SWORD!, aka sword lesbians, fairy tale AU, royal au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-06-24 13:53:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15631998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sylviewashere/pseuds/sylviewashere
Summary: Tales of the Ivy Tower have grown throughout Barden. The word spread to every member of the kingdom, from peasants all the way to the royal family.A princess from faraway kingdom, locked away in a tower in a deep part of the woods. Protecting her tower is a beast that Emily has only heard about in stories: a deadly dragon. Many have tried to free the princess, but to no avail.No man has ever come back from the journey alive.





	couldn't hide from the thunder (in a sky full of song)

**Author's Note:**

> for junksen week day 5: royal au

“Your majesty. It has been a week since you sent the last troops to the Ivy Tower. And two weeks since the squad before that.”

“I’m aware. None of them have sent any word of their return?”

“Unfortunately not, your majesty. We believe that they have been slain by the dragon.”

The Queen stays silent for a moment, tapping her fingers thoughtfully on the long, ornate table. Emily watches her mother carefully, but keeping her mouth shut. Her job at the moment was to stay quiet and agree with what the Queen ordered. Even though her mind was racing with different possibilities.

Tales of the Ivy Tower have grown throughout Barden. The word spread to every member of the kingdom, from peasants all the way to the royal family. Emily struggled to pry the information from her protective mother, but she finally heard the full story that everyone in the castle is gossiping about.

A princess from faraway kingdom, locked away in a tower in a deep part of the woods. Protecting her tower is a beast that Emily has only heard about in stories: a deadly dragon. Many have tried to free the princess, but to no avail.

No man has ever come back from the journey alive.

“And we have no new information about the kidnapped princess?”

“I’m afraid not. No one can even get close to the area without being spotted by the dragon and killed.”

“I see.” The Queen contemplates this for a moment. Emily’s stomach drops when she finally speaks. “We cannot risk the lives of any more knights. I’m calling off this mission.”

“Mother, we can’t do that,” Emily speaks up all of a sudden. The entire council turns to her in surprise, and she sinks down in her chair again.

“Emily, dear, this matter doesn’t concern you.” But her mother’s voice doesn’t hold a commanding presence - this is her mother speaking to her right now, not the Queen - so Emily takes a chance, sits up a little straighter, and keeps speaking.

“I do believe that you said you wanted me to take more responsibility in my role as princess. We can’t allow _this_ princess to stay alone in that tower. There must be a strategy we haven’t thought about yet.” Emily struggles to keep still and proper in her seat as she speaks, even though her hands try to fight her to move.

“Emily. I don’t think you fully understand the consequences. There are lives at risk.”

“One of them is the girl in that tower.” Emily says gravely. “I’m not suggesting we risk any more lives. I believe that we can come up with a plan that wouldn’t put anyone in danger to at least get more information than we know now.”

“The council will discuss the matter further. At a later time.” The Queen gives Emily a warning look that makes her sink back down again. Emily knows very well that this is her mother’s polite, queenly way of telling her to keep her mouth shut about it.

//

Emily cringes when apples are sent tumbling to the floor. She freezes in the middle of the kitchen for a moment, making sure nobody heard her fumble. After a few moments of silence, she gathers up the apples again and shoves them in her bag.

Suddenly, a hand touches her shoulder, and she almost screams. But she’s quickly spun around and shushed. She relaxes slightly when she sees who it is.

“Beca, you scared me.” Beca is the daughter of Emily’s private tutor. When her teacher moved in to teach Emily, so did Beca. They grew up together, and Beca is one of the few people in the castle she truly likes, someone she doesn’t have to act prim and proper around.

“What are you doing?” Beca gestures to Emily’s collection of food. “Finally running away from a life of council meetings, stuffy outfits, and waving at people?” Beca mock smiles and waves. Emily rolls her eyes and slaps her hand down.

“Not exactly.”

“So, just stealing food? Couldn’t you just ask for one of your servants to get you more? Come on, Emily. Give me something to work with.”

“I’m going to the Ivy Tower.”

Beca’s mouth opens and closes a few times from shock before she finally finds her voice again. “You’re going to the Ivy Tower. The one with the dragon.”

“Yes.”

“I guess it’s been nice knowing you.”

“Don’t worry about me, Beca. I have a plan.”

“Oh, do tell.” Beca crosses her arms over her chest.

“The council said that none of the knights were able to bring back any information, right? So that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to investigate the tower.” Emily sounds so sure of herself that Beca almost forgets that this idea is terrible.

“How do you plan on not being eaten by a dragon?”

“I’ll go at night.” Beca raises an eyebrow. “It has to sleep sometime, right?”

“That’s so stupid that it might work.” Emily doesn’t comment. She proceeds from the kitchen to the stables. Beca disappears for a moment, so Emily is alone with her thoughts again. Emily pats the horse’s flank gently, urging it to stay quiet. Her entire body is on autopilot, and if she was actually thinking she probably would just give up and go back to sleep. But she’s not thinking about herself. Emily suddenly hear’s Beca’s voice again. “You know, this is either the bravest or the dumbest thing that’s ever been done by a princess.”

“Thanks,” Emily smiles because she knows that’s Beca’s backwards way of telling her that she admires what she’s doing. She turns to face her friend and is surprised when she sees what she’s carrying. “Armor?”

“And a weapon.” Beca holds out the sword to Emily.

“I’m not planning on fighting the dragon.”

“I know. But just in case,” Beca gives her a weak smile. “Plus, I know you’ve been secretly training. You’re not subtle, Princess.”

Emily chuckles.

“I know. What my mother doesn’t know won’t kill her.” The thought of _‘but it might kill me’_ runs through Emily’s mind, but she shakes her head at the idea.

“Emily?”

“Yes?”

“Why are you doing this?” Beca’s voice, for the first time, sounds scared. Emily chews on her lip as she slip the chestplate on, securing it in place. She grips the hilt of her sword, feeling the weight of it before sheathing it at her side. For the first time since she made this impulsive leap, she has to think about this question.

Why _is_ she doing this?

Honestly, she could brush it off as some sort of hero complex that she never knew she had until now. Or perhaps an act of rebellion against her overprotective mother.

But Emily doesn’t think that’s it. Something is drawing her to the Ivy Tower. That’s all she knows. She _needs_ to go there. It’s like there’s some sort of gravitational pull on her or an instinct that’s just surfaced. She’d be called a fool to say it was magical, but that’s what it feels like.

That’s what she says to Beca, who just stares at her blankly. “You’re really something, Princess.”

“That’s what everyone has been telling me lately.”

“I suppose you want me to cover your tracks?”

“You don’t have to do that. I’ve told mother that I was planning on visiting one of the nearby villages for a couple of days. Although, she does think I’m being escorted by a guard. But with the chaos with all of the slain knights, she shouldn’t notice that none of them have left the kingdom with me. If anybody does ask, you may just tell them that I simply left early in the morning.”

“I can do that.” Beca watches Emily hike herself onto the horse with the all of the grace of a baby bird. Emily brushes her braid to her back and double checks her supplies. “Emily, just...don’t die.”

Emily smiles.

“I’ll try, Beca. Farewell.”

//

The journey to the Ivy Tower is surprisingly pleasant. A well worn path guides Emily through Verdant Forest, a realm that is aptly named. The surroundings are beautiful, everything is in bloom. And Emily comes across no trouble - save for a pesky squirrel who tried to nab her food (he succeeded in taking some, leaving Emily a little hungrier than she would like to be).

Emily doesn’t know the exact way to the hidden part of the forest that the tower is in, but she follows her instincts and knowledge of the tales that have been told to her.

It only takes about a day before Emily spots a particularly overgrown area branching off from the main path. Dusk surrounds her, so she has to squint a little to see that behind a wall of twisting branches and leaves is another path.

Her breath catches in her throat as she dismounts. She ties her horse to a nearby tree, a little ways outside of the entrance to the grove. The entire area has gone dead silent. Even the sounds of crickets seem to have come to a halt. Something about this area of the forest seems frozen in time.

Emily supposes that if the dragon were around, she would be able to hear some sort of noise coming from it. So, she carefully proceeds through the entrance to the grove, trying not to snap any branches with her boots.

The overlapping branches create a sort of tunnel that Emily follows carefully, hand hovering over her sword. It’s almost completely dark now, and maybe she should have thought this through more because she starting to really have trouble seeing now. The only thing that she has to guide her way is a small lamp, but the light flickers unpredictably.

As she reaches the end of the tunnel, the branches become less entangled and the leaves are pushed back, as if someone tended to them recently. Emily doesn’t know what she expects to walk into. Maybe to be immediately greeted by a massive dragon sleeping near the tower or to quickly be burned to a crisp. But all she walks into is silence, only broken by the sound of trickling water.

She was hoping to be able to investigate the tower, but seeing as she can barely see two inches in front of her, that plan has gone out the window. The area seems to be an open field, with the rest of the forest gracing the edges. Emily can see a looming shadow that must be the Ivy Tower, but it’s too dark to see it properly.

One thing is for sure though. There’s no dragon here.

Emily manages to find some trees along the edge that seem hidden enough. She makes the decision to shed her armor for the night, tucking it safely into the hollow of the tree. For a moment she considers stowing her sword there as well, but she decides to keep it by her side. After she scales the tree and settles against the thick branches, she tugs her cloak over her. It hasn’t set in that this is supposedly the home of a stolen princess and a fearsome dragon yet. Right now, it just feels like a hidden, enchanted gem in the middle of the forest.

Emily has no trouble falling asleep.

//

She must have been in an extremely deep sleep, because she doesn’t even hear anyone approach her. Suddenly, she’s being shaken awake and lets out a scream before tumbling to the ground with a thud. Emily scrambles to her feet and grasps for her sword, but only finds air. Panicked, she looks up to the branch where she had fallen from to try to find who woke her. She sees a young woman with blonde hair, that seems to be dampened like it had just been washed, glaring at her with piercing intensity.

The blonde swings down from the branch and lands gracefully (much more so than Emily had). Before Emily can even open her mouth, her own sword is being pointed at her. She gulps and raises her hands up weakly.

“Who are you? Why have you come here?”

Emily hesitates a second before answering, eyes flicking between the sword at her throat and the girl’s pointed stare. Her expression is unreadable, but Emily catches the way the sword is wavering a little in her hand. This girl, although bold, doesn’t seem ultimately threatening. She’s afraid.

“My name is Emily,” Emily’s voice is unwavering, the voice her mother taught her to use as a Princess. “I am not here to cause any trouble. I simply came to investigate the rumors about the Ivy Tower.”

“Why?” The girl practically growls. There’s a blazing fire in her emerald eyes that makes Emily’s heart jump.

“I… the princess sent me,” Emily manages. She doesn’t know who this girl is - all Emily can assume is that she’s a traveler as well, since many pass through Verdant Forest. And she doesn’t know if it would be safe to reveal her identity as the princess. The girl doesn’t seem convinced, nose wrinkling with disgust. “I promise I mean no harm to you. The royal family wishes to investigate the Tower. We - they are concerned about the threat of the dragon to the kingdom. As well as the safety of the kidnapped princess.”

“Princess?” The blade at Emily’s throat lowers, so she tentatively lowers her hands again. “There is no princess here.”

“No princess?”

“No princess. The only one here is me.”

Emily nods slowly, processing the information. Perhaps the rumors got that detail wrong. It could just be a normal girl who was kidnapped by a dragon.

“Do you know anything about the dragon…” Emily hesitates. “My apologies, maiden, I don’t believe you said your name.” Of course, it’s hard to do introductions when you’re threatening someone with their own sword. But the girl seems less intimidating now, sword slumped against the ground and eyes darting around nervously.

“Aubrey.”

“That’s a lovely name,” Emily smiles. If there’s one thing she’s perfected through her endless training to be a beloved princess, it’s charm. She silently hopes that perhaps she can get Aubrey to let her guard down more and give her the information she needs. “Do you know anything about the dragon, fair Aubrey?”

“I know that it is unusual for it not to be present right now,” Aubrey states.

“Why is that?”

“Usually, it appears whenever any people enter here.”

“How do you know all of this? Are you not a traveler as I am?” Aubrey’s eyes drop to the ground. Realization hits Emily. “Aubrey, are you the maiden who was captured by the dragon?”

“Yes,” Aubrey answers, jaw setting tensely. Emily is unable to read the expression on her face. “But I’m sure that because you now know I’m not a princess as the stories say, there is no point in rescuing me.”

“Nonsense. You’re worthy of being helped as well.” Emily gives Aubrey a soft smile. “Although, pardon me for assuming, but you don’t look very captured.”

“I am not locked away in the tower, as I’m sure the stories say. But I am not able to leave this meadow,” Aubrey says, gesturing behind her. “Not with the dragon around.”

For the first time, Emily is able to see the area properly. The Ivy Tower is dead center, much smaller than Emily had initially imagined, but still a looming presence in the meadow. True to its name, there’s ivy climbing up almost the entire surface of the tower, leaving very little of the brick exposed. Emily can see a small waterfall flowing out of a cliff that borders the meadow, pouring into a sparkling pond. There’s a garden adjacent to the pond, vegetables and fruits that are more ripe and lush looking than even Emily has seen in the royal kitchen.

“This doesn’t seem like where a dragon would live.”

“I suppose,” Aubrey murmurs.

Emily opens her mouth to ask another question, but gets cut off by a gurgling sound. Aubrey raises an eyebrow. “Aubrey, would it be rude of me to ask you if I may have some of the food from your garden?”

Emily is surprised to see Aubrey smile and laugh at her question - or maybe she’s laughing at the sounds coming from Emily’s stomach. She hands Emily’s sword back to her and leads her to the Tower.

//

The meal that Aubrey is able to conjure from her garden is heavenly. She invited Emily inside to sit down and eat, and they chat idly while Aubrey cuts things up. Emily tried to help, but Aubrey insisted because of her “previous behavior”.

“Do you always greet visitors by holding a sword to their throat?”

Aubrey looks down at the table in shame, blonde hair falling over her face. “I must apologize for that. It’s not often I wake up to take my bath and see someone sleeping in one of my trees. Usually when anyone comes to the meadow, the dragon appears and...I suppose you know the rest.”

Emily swallows her apple with a gulp, placing the core on the table. Aubrey is looking anywhere in the small kitchen but at her. It almost looks like Aubrey is ashamed that the dragon slays whoever tries to rescue her. “I do know the rest. But listen, you don’t have to stay here any longer.”

“What do you mean?”

“I didn’t think I would be able to, but this can be a rescue mission now!” Emily grins. She’s met with a confused look. “If the dragon didn’t appear with my arrival, perhaps it is gone for good. This is your chance, Aubrey!”

“You don’t understand,” Aubrey’s voice turns hard. “I cannot leave this place”

“Why? Perhaps it is still risky, but I’m sure there is a way we could make sure that the dragon is truly gone, or trick him into thinking that you simply starved or drowned or something of that nature so he wouldn’t seek you out again. Maybe we could - ”

“Emily!” Aubrey shouts. Emily jumps slightly, then slumps down in her chair, similar to the way she does when her mother reprimands her for speaking out of turn. Aubrey’s eyes soften again, and she takes a step back as if she were afraid of her own sudden anger. “I apologize for yelling. But like I said, you don’t understand. I cannot simply leave. It would be dangerous. There are...magical constraints that bound me here.”

“Oh.”

A silence falls over the two. Aubrey keeps herself busy by taking Emily’s dish and washing it. Emily watches her carefully. Her clothes are a little ragged, but they seem well kept. And she doesn’t seem frail at all. In fact, Emily would even say that she looks muscular, by what she can see of Aubrey’s arms since she rolled her sleeves up to wash the dish. Emily feels her throat go dry and quickly focuses on anything but Aubrey’s muscles.

After another few minutes of silence, Emily speaks again. “Aubrey, if you must stay here, you shouldn’t have to suffer.”

“How do you propose I do that?”

“I can leave and go to the nearby village. I can bring back supplies. New clothing, maybe food other than what your garden can provide. Anything you want.”

Aubrey turns back towards Emily, expression soft. “You would do that for me?”

“Of course. I give you my word.”

“What if the dragon returns?”

“I’ve been here for almost the entire day, and it hasn’t. I took the risk to come here in the first place, I would take the risk again,” Emily says firmly. Aubrey relaxes a little bit. “Now, what would you like me to bring back to you?”

//

The weight of Emily’s gifts almost made the shoddy table buckle when she hefted the sack on top of it. Aubrey stares at Emily in shock and pure joy. “This is all for me?”

“Yes, all for you. Maybe some for me, while I’m here. But I was able to find you a variety of meats and cheeses. I didn’t know what you preferred, so I just got a little bit of everything. Oh!” Emily remembers the smaller bag strapped to her back. She hands it to Aubrey and watches her expression light up even more when she opens it. “Books! I recalled that you liked reading. I suppose that you don’t get many new ones. Those are a few of my favorites.”

“This is all amazing, Emily. I truly don’t know how I could ever repay you.”

“Unfortunately, I have to leave now. My mother will be suspicious if I’m away much longer. Maybe the next time I come, you could actually let me help prepare dinner.”

“Next time?” Aubrey tries to keep her expression neutral, but her voice sounds hopeful.

“Of course,” Emily smiles. “It’s lonely here. You deserve to have some company.”

//

Emily plans her visits to see Aubrey carefully, ducking her mother’s questions about where she is traveling to and why she’s taking so much food and so many books with her. Somehow, Emily manages to go weeks without her mother getting too suspicious.

Aubrey has let her guard down since Emily’s first visit. Somewhere along the line, Emily forgets that she never said she was the princess and lets the information slip. She expects Aubrey to react poorly to the information being hidden from her, but it doesn’t change how Aubrey views her at all. She understands Emily’s need to hide her identity at first, and they go back to their normal activities.

While they’re having dinner, Aubrey jokes that perhaps she should be kissing Emily’s hand if she’s a princess. Emily smirks and holds her hand out to Aubrey. “If you wish to do so.”

Aubrey rolls her eyes, but to Emily’s surprise, she takes Emily’s hand and kisses it gently. Both of them laugh at the action, but neither are able to properly hide the faint blush on their cheeks.

Now, they comfortably eat and cook together, or play one of the games that Emily brings from the castle. Lately, Aubrey always begs Emily to sing for her. One day, Emily brought a lute from the castle to see if Aubrey would like to learn to play. Aubrey was spellbound by the skill Emily displayed on the instrument, and just kept asking her to play and sing more songs. Emily went through her entire repertoire in a day, and had to ask her music instructor for more sheet music.  

Although Aubrey’s favorite times are spent listening to Emily sing, Emily’s are nights spent with Aubrey stargazing. The top of the Ivy Tower offers a perfect space for the two girls to wrap themselves in as many blankets as Emily can carry from home and lay back to see the thousands of stars above them. Although, they hardly need the blankets - Aubrey’s body produces so much heat that if Emily is cold all she has to do is shift closer to her.

Emily asks Aubrey which stars are which, and Aubrey explains all of the constellations she knows from the books she’s read. They often end up falling asleep up there, and when they wake up, Emily is always curled protectively around Aubrey, who blushes and apologizes for sleeping so close.

Those weeks are so enchanting that Emily forgets that there was ever even the threat of a dragon. The only time she remembers is when she starts to slip up and ask Aubrey if she would like to visit the castle. Emily often ended up spending multiple nights in the Ivy Tower with Aubrey, determined to make sure Aubrey felt how much Emily cared for her, but she longed to show her the castle and have her meet her mother and Beca.

When she does accidentally ask Aubrey if she would prefer to go to the castle where they wouldn’t have to share a bed - although, Emily doesn’t mind a bit and Aubrey hasn’t complained at all either - Aubrey just gives her a weak smile and says that Emily is very kind to offer. But of course she can’t leave.

Emily’s visits became routine, and the days when she couldn’t visit Aubrey were spent thinking about what their next day together would entail. Upon Emily’s return to the castle from her latest visit, Beca greets her outside to ask her about her latest journey.

“Wonderful, as usual, Beca.”

“You seem to have grown even more fond of Aubrey then you are of me. Frankly, I’m hurt,” Beca teases.

“The next time I visit, perhaps you can come along,” Emily proposes. “I would love for you to meet, but she can’t come here. Not yet at least.”

“When do you think she will be able to?”

Emily sighs deeply, playing with her horse’s reins. “I haven’t brought it up in a while. She won’t tell me anything about the supposed spell that keeps her trapped there.”

“Maybe she wants to stay. After all, she has it pretty good now that the dragon is gone, and you visit her almost every week.”

The moment that Emily steps back into the castle, she’s told that her mother wishes to see her. Her stomach drops. She adjusts her posture, fixes her hair that has been ruffled by the travel, takes a deep breath, and steps into the throneroom.

“Mother, you requested my presence?”

“Emily,” her mother’s voice is firm and booming. Emily swallows as she quickly realizes she’s not speaking to her mother, but the Queen. “You have been lying to me.”

“Mother, I don’t know - ”

“What were you thinking? Going to the Ivy Tower like that? Was this a petty act of rebellion against me? I told you that the missions were to be put on hold, but you go on your own to investigate. Not only once, but almost every week. Why? You could have been killed.”

“But mother, I haven’t been!” Emily finds her voice. “Based on what I have seen, the dragon is no longer a threat. I can prove that it is safe, if you would only give me the chance. Perhaps once you see that it is, you’d be open to helping find a way for Aubrey to escape her magical bonds.”

“Who is Aubrey, dear?”

“The kidnapped princess. She’s not a princess, actually, that was a false rumor. She cannot leave the meadow, even with the dragon gone. I think that there must be a way, though.”

The queen stares at Emily for a moment, wheels turning in her head. Emily tries not to chew on her lip nervously (“a nasty habit” her mother called it).

“You’re not going to drop this, are you?”

“No, Mother. I’m not.”

“Very well,” her mother sighs. “If what you say it true, then I will send out more knights to investigate. Once I am assured by them that it is safe, then we will see what we can do about this Aubrey.”

“Fantastic! Thank you, Mother. I will start preparing at once.”

“Did I say you were going?”

“Well, no. But I do believe that I know the most about the area. Besides, Aubrey is not very trusting of strangers.” Emily smiles with the memory of Aubrey threatening her with a sword on their first meeting.

“I can see that you won’t be argued with. But you must promise me, at the very first sight of the dragon, you and the others will flee. ”

“I promise you that I will do what I believe will keep me safe,” Emily chooses her words carefully.

“And you will wear full armor.”

“The helmets are so stuffy though, Mother.” Emily crinkles her nose.

“Think of that as your punishment for disobeying me.”

//

“How much further, Princess?”

“Not much, Sir Charles,” Emily says, spotting the entrance to the meadow. “Do you see that tunnel of foliage ahead? Just beyond that is the meadow.”

The Queen’s knights try to insist that Emily stay towards the back of the party, but Emily ignores them. “Princess’s orders.”

“The Queen said - ”

“The Queen isn’t here right now. Now, please let me lead.” Emily’s words sound echoey in the helmet, which is starting to give her a headache. But she at least keeps  that promise to her mother.

Emily expects to find Aubrey tending to the garden or maybe reading under one of the willow trees when they enter the meadow. But as Emily unmounts her horse and starts to call out to her, she notices the entire meadow grow darker and hotter. She looks up, and through the openings of her helmet, she can see an enormous creature descending on the meadow.

The dragon.

The beast lets out a deafening roar that rattles Emily’s armor and sends her horse galloping away. She panics when she sees that it’s spooked the knight’s horses as well, and they’ve already fled. Emily is left alone, her only defenses being her armor and her sword.

The dragon’s leathery wings beat strong gusts of wind that throw Emily off of her balance as it lands on the Ivy Tower, claws piercing through some of the brick. It perches itself on top of the tower - which Emily is surprised doesn’t completely collapse under the weight of the dragon, but perhaps it’s enchanted. A thundering noise emits from the dragon’s now glowing chest. Then, it opens its jaw, lined with teeth sharper than the blade of Emily’s word, and breathes flame after flame into the air - almost like its showing off. Then, it lowers its head and just watches Emily carefully. Like a cat waiting for its prey to make a move so it has time to play with it before it goes for the kill.

Emily’s thoughts immediately go to Aubrey, who’s probably hiding away inside of the tower that the dragon is settled on.

“Mighty beast,” Emily shouts, but it reverberates inside of her helmet. So she tugs it off and sends it rattling to the ground. The dragon tilts its head and begins to creep down from the tower, huge clawed feet destroying Aubrey’s precious garden as it stalks toward Emily. She draws her sword and holds it as steady as she can, but her hand is shaking uncontrollably. “Stop! Please, don’t kill me. Where is Aubrey? What have you done with her?”

The dragon is only yards away from Emily now, and she can clearly see all of its scales and spikes. Honestly, if Emily weren’t terrified of it killing her, she would take a moment to admire its beauty - shimmering golden scales and eyes that shine a green that reminds Emily of emeralds. But the magnificent creature is standing between her and the Ivy Tower, where Emily desperately needs to be. If Emily gets out of this alive, she needs to be sure that Aubrey is alive as well.

Suddenly, it lets out a mighty roar. Emily flinches and covers her face, ready for the searing flames to overtake her. But they never come. This is her chance. And she’s probably never done anything more stupid in her entire life than what she’s about to do.

Emily musters all of her courage, lets out a mighty battle cry, and barrels full speed toward the dragon.

The dragon roars again in response, but it must not have been ready for Emily to run toward it, because it stumbles backwards. Emily closes her eyes when she gets close enough to swing her sword. The sound of metal hitting the scales sounds off, and she opens her eyes long enough to see that it only made a small gash in the dragon’s cheek.

But it’s enough to make the beast recoil. Which is just what Emily needs to have a way to run as fast as she can between the dragon’s legs, directly toward the tower door. She wastes no time scrambling to shut the door, even though a wooden door it really no match for a fire breathing dragon. Emily takes only a second to take a breath. Her heart feels like it’s in her throat and her stomach in her chest. Loud thuds of the dragon’s feet shake the furniture inside the castle.

Emily drops her sword without thinking and starts desperately calling out for Aubrey. Her cries are drowned out by the sound of bricks crumbling. Emily watches the castle walls shake, and she realizes that the dragon is climbing the tower again. Aubrey must be at the top. It’s heading for her.

Emily’s boots thump hard against the steps as she run breathlessly up the tower. By the time she reaches the top, her breathing is so heavy she feels like she might throw up. But there’s no time. She brushes her hair that’s soaked with sweat out of her face, and spots the latch to the door that leads to the roof.

Aubrey is no where else to be found within the castle. This is the only place that Emily hasn’t looked. It’s also where the dragon must be, settled and waiting for Emily to push the door open. The thought makes Emily freeze, hand pressed against the door. She’s left her sword downstairs, she’s exhausted to the point of fainting, and there’s a dragon waiting for her on the other side.

But what other option does she have? One way or another, the dragon is going to catch up to her. Whether she stays in the tower, runs back out the entrance, or climbs through to the roof, her fate is essentially sealed.

The only deciding factor that Emily can rationalize right now is Aubrey. Aubrey has to be on the other side of this door. Emily has to get to her. She doesn’t know what she’ll do once she does, but she just has to.

There isn’t enough strength left in her body to go all the way back down to her sword and come back up again, so she’s armed with nothing but a small dagger that Beca insisted she strap to her thigh. She pushes the door open and climbs out into the sunlight again. The sudden brightness practically blinds her, and her exhaustion is finally catching up to her.

A huge shadow overtakes the tower and blocks the sun from Emily’s face. Emily looks up and sees the silhouette of the dragon looming over her. Her vision is going blurry, and she feels herself swaying.  She drops to the floor, panting heavily. A rumbling that sounds like thunder rattles in her ears. Emily vaguely recognizes it as the sound the dragon makes before it breathes fire. This is it. She’s about to be burned to a crisp on top of the Ivy Tower. She’s failed.

Emily takes what must be her final breath and cries out weakly for Aubrey.

The last thing Emily feels before everything goes black is being surrounded by warmth.

//

If this is what dying feels like, it’s not all bad. The warmth is almost comforting, engulfing Emily.

And then, Emily feels like she’s fading in and out of consciousness, getting flashes of moments before she blacks out again. This is what it must feel like to have your life flash before your eyes.

Flashes of the Ivy Tower. Of the kitchen and the garden and the lake. Of the way it looks when the sun sets over the meadow, engulfing the forest in an orange glow that always made Emily feel warm inside. There are sudden flashes of feelings too. Like that warmth, soft and cradling.

Emily gets flashes of the stars she loves so much. Flashes of the tower steps that she’s walked up hundreds of times. Flashes of the bed she shared with the person she so desperately wanted to save.

Flashes of Aubrey. Everything about her. Her soft hair, how she smells like forest, the way her eyes sparkle when a candle light flickers, her voice that sounds just out of reach.

//

_“Emily, please…”_

Her voice.

_“Can you hear me? Please, I need you to hear me.”_

Emily always loved Aubrey’s voice.

_“Did you just move? Emily?”_

Sometimes, Emily would ask Aubrey to read passages from her favorite books aloud. Just so she could hear them in Aubrey’s voice.

_“It’s been so long, you have to wake up.”_

Whenever Emily sang for Aubrey, she always tried to get her to sing along once she knew the words. Aubrey always agreed.

_“You can’t die. You can’t.”_

If Aubrey’s voice is the last thing that Emily hears before she dies, then she will have died doing what she loved.

_“Emily, you can’t do this. You can’t leave me now. There’s so much I need to tell you. Emily, I love you. So much.”_

//

Cold.

Everything is cold all of a sudden. Like the time she stuck her arm into the almost frozen lake when she was little. She feels...wait, she _feels._

She’s alive.

Emily jerks her entire body upwards, sputtering and gasping. Her body’s first reaction upon waking is to start shivering, which Emily resents. But then, a thick blanket is being wrapped snug around her and she looks up confused. Her eyes meet familiar green ones and for once in her life, she’s lost for words.

“You’re alive,” Aubrey whispers. There are tears forming, but she doesn’t make any move to wipe them away. “Emily, you’re alive. You were asleep for so long, I don’t even know what that was. Maybe it wasn’t so long. A day or so. Enough for me to worry that you weren’t going to wake up.”

“Aubrey,” Emily’s voice is a hoarse whisper. She looks around and points out a pitcher that she hopes has water in it. But Aubrey just gives her an apologetic smile.

“I just poured that on you to try to get you to wake up, actually.” The sudden frozen shock jolting her awake makes sense now. Emily juts her lip out at Aubrey. “Sorry, my dear. I’m just glad it worked. Let me go get you water and food.”

As she gets up from the stool that she’s placed next to the bed, Aubrey leans forward and presses her lips against Emily’s forehead gently. She pulls back and doesn’t say anything, but Emily feels her heart flutter at the way Aubrey’s looking at her. While Aubrey walks downstairs, Emily tries to process what exactly happened. She’s alive. And so is Aubrey. Neither of them have a scratch on them. Or...

Emily’s brain still feels foggy, so she shakes her head and tries to figure out how they’re safely in the Tower again. But when Aubrey returns, her suspicions from a moment ago are confirmed. Across Aubrey’s left cheek, there’s a faint scar that Emily definitely would have noticed before.

Aubrey settles on the edge of the bed, saying something about how she managed to find enough vegetables to make Emily’s favorite stew. Emily zones out for a second, reaching her hand up to Aubrey’s cheek. Aubrey startles a little at the movement, but allows Emily to trace her thumb over the scar.

“Where did this come from? Did the dragon do this?”

Aubrey’s body tenses under Emily’s touch, and she pulls away slightly. “Emily, you need to eat and drink something. I think you must have just passed out from exhaustion.”

“Aubrey, you’re not - ” Emily’s cut off by Aubrey shoving a spoon to her lips, leaving her no choice but to take the utensil in her mouth.

“I also suspect that there was some sort of magic involved with your state. It was very unusual for you to be out so long. I checked all of the medicinal books I could find and none of them helped. Cold water apparently is the antidote.” Aubrey doesn’t make eye contact with Emily once, just busies herself re-making the bed and pouring Emily water from the pitcher.

Emily swallows the stew and holds the spoon out of Aubrey’s reach so she can’t force feed her again. “I asked you something, Aub - ”

“I was so worried about you, Emily. I’m just so glad that  you’re alive and safe. After all that - ”

“Aubrey!” Emily snaps. Aubrey flinches, stepping back away from the bed and Emily. “Please, answer me. I don’t understand anything that happened. At least towards the end. Where did you even come from? Aubrey, I thought...I thought you were dead. It was so scary, and I just need to understand what happened.”

“I’m...I’m sorry Emily,” Aubrey whispers. “There’s so much I need to explain. I don’t...I don’t know where to start or how you’ll react. I can’t lose you.”

“Come here.” Aubrey slowly steps back toward the bed. Emily scoots so she’s sitting up against the wall. Aubrey takes the hint and sits in front of her. Emily notices that Aubrey’s clenching her fists so tight that her knuckles have turned white, so she takes Aubrey’s hands in her own and runs her thumb across them until they relax. “You’re not going to lose me. I promise you that. Can we just talk so this can all be over?”

Aubrey nods, but her eyes are still filled with worry.

“Okay, can we start with what happened to your cheek?”

“It’s a scar.”

“From what?”

Aubrey sucks in a breath. “From you.”

“From...me?” Aubrey nods. “I don’t think I follow.”

“It’s from the battle. From your sword.”

“But I didn’t see you the entire time.” Emily feels completely lost.

“You did.” Aubrey touches the scar on her cheek. “Trust me.”

There’s absolutely no way that she could have cut Aubrey with her sword. In fact, the only time that Emily actually used her sword was when she out in the meadow, and she managed to land a strike on the dragon.

The dragon.

Emily had sliced the dragon’s face.

Suddenly, Emily feels like she’s about to pass out again. Her stomach twists and her head is swimming. She can feel the piercing stare of the dragon’s eyes again all at once it reminds her of the way that Aubrey had stared her down when they first encountered each other.

“Aubrey,” Emily holds Aubrey’s hands tighter so she can’t run away from her or the question. “Please tell me I’m crazy and that you are absolutely not implying that…”

“That I’m the dragon?” Aubrey finishes Emily’s thought. Emily nods slowly, feeling a lump in her throat as she waits for Aubrey to answer. “I’m afraid that it’s true.”

“But, the stories. You said you were captured. When did this happen? How could nobody discover this? You told me that you couldn’t leave, was that all a lie? Why did you suddenly turn into the dragon again? Is that why I’m not dead right now?” Emily knows she’s not giving Aubrey a chance to answer any of her questions, but she’s overloaded with this information right now.

“I know this is a lot. Which an understatement. But I can’t answer all of questions at once, you know that, Emily.” Aubrey gives her a familiar smile, the one that she uses when Emily asks her hundreds of questions about gardening or constellations. “I’ll tell you everything you want to know, you must slow down though.”

“Okay, when did this all start? How did this happen in the first place?”

Aubrey sighs and chews on her lip. “It was years ago, when I was still living in the kingdom. My father was an overbearing one. Every moment of my life was essentially planned out, and he was determined to keep me on this path. I struggled greatly with this. He knew I did too, but he saw it as my own weakness rather than a reflection of how he was affecting me.”

Emily has never heard Aubrey talk about her family. She had always just assumed it was a sensitive subject, so she never asked.

“My father thought that my confidence issues paired with our lack of money was going to ruin his own legacy. So, he decided to take an alternate route. One day, he took me deep into Verdant Forest. We went even deeper than where we are now and into a place that you could feel the magic radiating from. There was a house, inside of it there was a witch. I don’t know her name. Maybe she didn’t have one.

“My father led me inside, and he gave the witch some of the money he had been saving. The only thing I remember hearing him say is that he wanted an enchantment. Something that would help me ‘defeat any man who stand in my way’. The witch asked him if he were sure, and he told her not to ask so many questions. She continued and put the enchantment on me. And then…”

“Then, you became something that could defeat any man who stood in your way,” Emily guesses. “She made it so you would transform into a dragon if you were threatened.”

“Yes. I don’t remember a lot of what happened after that. The only part I remember is an unbearable pain , and my father running. Or, trying to run.” Aubrey’s expression grows cold. “I suppose the enchantment considered my father someone who stood in my way.”

“Aubrey,” Emily tilts Aubrey’s head up to face her fully again. “Is that why you came here?”

“I had nothing to go home to. I couldn’t risk hurting anyone else. So, I found this place. The witch actually helped me find it. This whole meadow is enchanted with spells that help me live here. The protection spell around the castle and a fertility spell on the garden.

“I was okay living in isolation for a while. But then somehow, the rumors started spreading and people started getting curious. Hundreds of knights and princes have been sent here, only to be unfairly slaughtered. I couldn’t control it when I did transform into the dragon. I only get vague memories of what happens. Except the other day.”

“What do you mean, Aubrey?”

“When you took your helmet off, I started to regain control. It’s as if my body recognized you and knew not to hurt you. I wasn’t in complete control, but I was able to restrain from harming you.”

“And yet I ended up hurting you,” Emily gestures to the scar again.

“Emily, if you think I blame you for doing that, then you really are crazy.”

“So, everything you told me when I arrived here?”

“I might have lied about the magical bonds. Or, I told the truth if you think about it. Having the enchantment on me essentially makes it impossible for me to return to the kingdom.”

“Why should it?” Emily protests.

“You cannot be serious.”

“Well, haven’t you punished yourself enough? Years spent alone in a tower, and you haven’t even tried to return to the kingdom?”

“I’ve killed people, Emily. Many people, who wanted nothing but to rescue me. I don’t deserve to be alive, nevertheless return to the kingdom where I could kill others. How can you even stand to still be here with me? I’m a monster.”

“Aubrey, don’t say that,” Emily says firmly. “You’re not a monster. That is not who you are.”

“Isn’t it?”

“No, it is not. Aubrey, you are an amazing, caring person. A monster wouldn’t feel guilty for what she’s done. This isn’t something in your control. You said that something changed when you saw me. Maybe this is the time to try to return to the kingdom.”

“I can’t risk that, Emily.” Aubrey says firmly, her jaw clenched tight. “I won’t risk it. There’s no guarantee that this has passed. I am staying in the Ivy Tower, and I will stay here as long as there is the slimmest chance that I lose control and kill more innocent people.”

“Aubrey, this is no way for someone to live!” Emily cries, voice more desperate sounding than she expected. She moves her hands up to wipe away the tears that threaten to fall, but Aubrey grabs her arms so she can look at her as she speaks.

“But it’s how I must live. For the safety of the kingdom. For your safety, my dear Emily.” Emily blinks away her tears and sees that Aubrey has a stream of her own tears running down her face. “This past event was too much of a close call. I know I can control the monster when I’m with just you. But if something were to trigger it and you were present… I don’t know what would happen. And I won’t risk it. I won’t risk losing the one good thing in my life.”

Emily can’t take it anymore. She tugs Aubrey forward and connects their lips. Aubrey makes a surprised noise, but eases into the kiss. Emily doesn’t know whose tears she feels on her face as the kiss deepens, but she can’t bring herself to care. Her heart is threatening to beat out of her chest. Aubrey pulls back, moving to rest her forehead against Emily’s.

“I can’t lose you,” Aubrey whispers. “Please, Emily. Don’t let me lose you.”

“You’re not going to. I give you my word. Forever and always.”

//

They’re back in a familiar position, curled up with one another in Aubrey’s bed. There are significantly less clothes this time, but Emily snuggles close to Aubrey to keep warm. She can’t sleep, her mind is racing too fast.

Emily feels it in her gut that Aubrey wouldn’t have to worry about the dragon returning if they go back to the kingdom. It’s the same feeling that overtook her when she felt a draw to the Ivy Tower in the first place. There has to be some way to work past Aubrey’s doubts.

Then it hits her. Emily whispers to ask Aubrey if she’s awake. Aubrey mumbles something that vaguely sounds like yes.

“Aubrey, I have an idea,”

“About what, dear?”

“Would you believe me if I said that we’re both returning to the kingdom, and the dragon will never be a problem again?”

Aubrey looks at Emily like she’s grown three heads. “We’ve been over this. It’s too risky.”

“There won’t be any chance, I promise.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I just feel it, Aubrey. I feel that if you go back to the kingdom, nothing will trigger the dragon. It won’t happen, because you won’t have anything else standing in your way. The last thing that’s standing in your way right now is yourself. I think that if you take the risk, the curse will be broken.”

“And if it doesn’t work?”

“We hope that I can get you under control enough to fly back to the Ivy Tower.”

“This is insane.”

“I can’t let you live in this tower, isolating yourself like this anymore. I want you to meet my mother and my friends. I want you to be able to live a normal life. You can even live in the castle with me. Don’t you want that?”

“I do, Emily. It sounds amazing,” Aubrey sighs. “But…”

“Aubrey, do you trust me?” Emily asks again.

Aubrey searches Emily’s eyes carefully. Emily brings her hand up and strokes her thumb over the scar carefully. Finally, Aubrey nods and kisses the palm of Emily’s hand.

“Yes, I trust you. Forever and always.”

//

The Queen throws a grand celebration upon her return and the rescue of Aubrey. Emily takes it upon herself to name Aubrey the guest of honor of the festival. Aubrey is welcomed into the kingdom and into the castle as well. She feels at ease for the first time in forever, because it turns out that Emily was right. The last one standing in her way was herself, wrapped up in her own fears. The dragon never returns.

Emily and Aubrey live happily in the castle together. They continue much of their same routine. Aubrey grows a fondness for helping the kitchen staff, offering some of her own recipes and learning theirs. Emily is always shooed out of the kitchen for tasting the food before it’s ready though. They spend time in the castle’s massive library together, combing through every book they possibly can.

Some nights, they return to the Ivy Tower. Even though they have no reason to anymore, both of them still feel at home there. They spend countless nights drinking stolen wine, watching the stars, and making love on top of the Tower.

Tales of Princess Emily’s valiant return spread quickly through the kingdom. The citizens of Barden have already taken the little information they have about Emily’s journey and made it sound much grander than it was.

Some people say that Emily killed the dragon with only a dagger. Others say that Emily was just clever enough to outsmart the dragon, tricking it long enough to take Aubrey and escape.

Neither Emily nor Aubrey reveal what actually happened. They’re the only ones who know that the Princess and the dragon simply fell in love.

 

**Author's Note:**

> come yell at me about my anachronisms on tumblr @rosadiaznypd


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